This summer promises to be busy for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The agency recently announced several upcoming implementation dates under the America Invents Act.
We have listed several of the key patent reform dates below:
- June 15, 2012: Submission of the Genetic Testing Study Report to Congress
- June-July 2012: Federal Register publication noticing that the Patent Ombudsman Program will be made permanent
- June-July 2012: Federal Register publication of 3 Notices of Proposed Rulemaking for First-Inventor-to-File, Fee Setting, and Micro-entity provisions and 1 guidance document also for the First-Inventor-to-File provision
- July 13, 2012: Opening of the first USPTO satellite office in Detroit, Michigan
- By August 16, 2012: Federal Register publication of 7 Final Rules for the Inventor’s Oath/Declaration, Supplemental Examination, Preissuance Submissions, Citation of Patent Owner Statements, Post Grant Review, Inter Partes Review, and Covered Business Method Review provisions, the Technological Invention Definition, the Umbrella Administrative Trial Rules and 1 trial practice guide for the administrative trials
The USPTO also announced that it is planning for a roundtable discussion about the First-Inventor-to-File proposal in the late summer and another series of cross-country roadshows in the early fall to answer questions regarding the final rules.
At Sheldon Mak & Anderson, we recognize that innovation is your competitive edge - and it needs protection. As a full-service intellectual property firm with more than two decades of experience, we provide local, regional, national, and international legal services in the following areas: patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, IP litigation, international patent and trademark prosecution, licensing, alternative dispute resolution, and green technology.
Contact our knowledgeable intellectual property attorneys today TOLL FREE at 1-855-UR IDEAS (1-855-874-3327) or email us at tri@usip.com to find out how we can provide powerful protection for your unique ideas.
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